Associate Transport Planner

Location: Remote first, flexible working arrangements, with all UK based locations considered. Our flexible office collaboration spaces, for those wishing to use them, are in London, Exeter, Birmingham and Bristol.

Term: Permanent, Full Time

Grade: Associate

Closing: 5pm Monday 18 September 2026

Unfortunately, we cannot accept applicants that (now or in the future) require sponsorship for an employment visa. Any application requiring a visa (without clear clarification) will be rejected.

ABSTRACT

We are seeking an experienced associate transport planner to lead and grow our small transport planning team with a passion for transport and a strong track record in business development, to join our City Science team. Experience in any of local transport plans, active travel, electric vehicles, transport decarbonisation, public transport and policy development are a plus.

Many Thanks, Karl Jarvis (Head of Transport)

ABOUT US: CITY SCIENCE

ABOUT THE ROLE

We are seeking a Associate level Transport Planner to lead and grow our transport planning team, with specialist experience in scoping, managing and delivering transport planning activities, as well as the communication skills to represent City Science in front of clients. The successful candidate will oversee detailed whole-system transport planning, maximising the value of our cutting-edge research, and develop new innovations to support continued growth in business capability. They will take an active leadership role in projects, delivering technical insights to clients through an open, trusted and consultative approach.

They will take a key role in the growth of our business, through delivering upon our team’s wider commercial targets; such as through identifying future opportunities and delivering high quality tender responses. They will be provided the opportunity to attend, present and represent City Science at key industry wide transport and decarbonisation-focused national conferences.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES:
As an Associate within our City Science team you will be responsible for:

• Technical oversight and leading the transport planning service line

• Business development and the winning of new work

• Growing the transport planning team and offer

• Responsible for quality assurance on projects/technical deliverables.

• Ensure timely delivery of projects within budget.

• Leading engagement sessions, content development and outreach (as required).

This will include:

Project Delivery & Management

• Leading oversight, project management and direction, technical support and strategic direction for technical projects.

• Successfully overseeing the quality delivery of projects to client expectations and technical best-practice, with clear allocation of tasks and monitoring of resources, securing positive client testimonials, including supporting other staff.

Technical

• Preparing technical and client reports and presentations

• Working closely with our data science and software development teams to automate processes and provide constructive feedback to ensure continuous improvement.

• Managing and providing technical oversight, advisory and analysis on a range of transport and net zero projects

• Undertaking technical research and prototyping to test and automate transport planning processes.

• Developing and delivering expert transport and sustainability advice, analysis and thought leadership.

Communication & Stakeholder Engagement

• Responsible for leading, conducting, overseeing and delivering high-quality reports, action plans, expert advice, informative graphics and compelling visualisations.

• Facilitating stakeholder engagement during projects including oversight of preparation of material.

• Meeting and presenting our capability to key stakeholders including senior officers and portfolio holders within local authorities.

• Representing detailed technical information to potential clients clearly, honestly and with integrity.

Business Development

• Taking responsibility for work winning – taking the role of Bid Manager on medium to large tenders and tracking emerging opportunities, as well as leading negotiations where applicable

• Develop the highest level client relationships and market knowledge

• Accountable for revenue and win work targets

• Raise our profile, including promoting our offer to clients and leading promotional campaigns.

• Providing clients with a deep understanding of our solutions, services and emerging innovations.

• Lead and actively support company-wide win work initiatives

Team Leadership

• Leading and delivering elements of service and regional business plans.

• Undertaking management responsibilities including team and line management, staff resourcing, staff development, mentoring and coordinating social activities.

• Upskilling our team and systems to enhance technical skills and levels of quality.

• Line management, development and mentoring of our team members, specialising in transport planning and sustainability.

• Overseeing multiple sectors of our Transport and Net Zero offer.

ABOUT YOU

You’re ambitious, proactive and customer-focused with exceptional attention to detail and the needs of our clients. You’re a champion and expert in your field with a rigorous, disciplined approach and a deep technical knowledge of transport planning and sustainability. You have extensive experience working within transport systems and are comfortable working with and leading technical elements of projects. You’re a great collaborator, committed to success of the team with the flexibility to intelligently adapt your style to the task in hand. Most importantly, you’ve got the drive, ambition, hunger and work ethic to succeed in this fast-moving role. You will have a track record in business development and an extensive client relationship network to draw upon.

City Science is a growth-focused organisation with an expanding team and so an entrepreneurial, resilient and tenacious mindset are critical.

ESSENTIAL

Project Management & Delivery

• Proven track record in managing successful delivery of complex projects and programmes as Project Manager or Technical Advisor, in accordance with management systems and governance.

• Strong report writing skills with the ability to produce clear, precise and coherent analyses (e.g. business cases, briefing papers and technical reports) for a range of technical and non-technical audiences, including reviewing work of others, to achieve consistency.

• Strong analytical skills with a comprehensive understanding of industry trends and issues.

• Ability to work independently when required and effectively delegate to remote teams and review project tasks, including a track record of delivering projects to time and budget constraints.

• Good appreciation of project risk issues and application of these to day-to-day tasks.

• Experience delivering transport, sustainability and/or decarbonisation strategies.

• Experience with advising on Local Transport Plans.

• Experience with delivering Local Cycling & Walking Infrastructure Plans.

Technical Knowledge

• 10 years plus of relevant work experience, with at least 4 years experience in a commercial role

• Appropriate industry, research and/or other professional specialist experience in a similar role with experience in two or more of our specialisms.

• Degree qualified or equivalent, ideally in science degree like Physics, Engineering Geography, Computer Science or Mathematics but all degrees considered (Minimum of 2:1 or equivalent).

• Demonstrable experience solving complex customer qualitative and/or quantitative problems using a range of techniques.

• High level of technical competency across a range of your disciplines, with specialist relevant expertise in policy, evidence bases, planning, and technology.

• Proven experience leading development of local and strategic policy at sub-regional, regional and national level and the development of detailed infrastructure delivery programmes.

• Relevant experience developing multi-criteria evaluation (e.g. leading feasibility studies and Option Assessment Reports).

• Working knowledge of (and possible experience developing) relevant guidance, best practice and/or software packages.

• Good knowledge and familiarity with key guidance documents (e.g. NPPF, TAG)

Partnership & Business Development

• Proven track record in leading preparation of successful competitive tenders, grant applications and client proposals

• Extensive client network.

• Proven commercial experience of identifying, bidding and winning tenders and working to revenue targets

• Experience developing strategic partnerships with clients to win work.

• Experience overseeing frameworks and securing opportunities, through strategic positioning.

• Existing trusted personal customer relationships in the transport sector.

Management Skills

• Self-motivated team player, with responsibility of own work, whilst supporting / overseeing others.

• Experience managing teams, providing highly effective support and mentoring to junior colleagues.

DESIRABLE

• Post-graduate qualification (e.g. MSc, Diploma) or equivalent in a STEM or related discipline.

• Active member of a relevant professional institution.

• Completed professional chartership (or similar).

• Completed project management qualifications (e.g. PRINCE2, APM).

• Experience with delivering BSIPs

• Experience with delivering Electric Vehicle Strategies & Action Plans

• Experience working in a high-growth, technology start-up environment

• Experience working with financial and geospatial models

• Advanced Excel skills, GIS, mapping and visualisation experience

• Knowledge and experience in data analysis using one or more data analysis packages( e.g. SPSS, R or Python would be advantageous)

• Membership of a chartered professional institution (e.g. CIHT, TPS), and working towards (or have completed) your Chartership 

• Comfortable presenting to large audiences
  

FURTHER INFORMATION
We are building a team who are motivated by collaboration with the desire to solve problems for our customers. We want people to own their field of responsibility, take decisions, be proactive and have pride in everything they do. Our team of experts includes prize-winning consultants, experienced technologists and distinguished academics.

Rewards & Benefits

• Opportunity to work on a diverse range of projects across the consultancy business

• Opportunity to grow a transport planning team

• Ongoing mentoring, training and support from senior professionals within the business (including towards professional chartership)

• Paid membership of a maximum of two institutions

• Flexible working arrangements

• 25 days annual leave entitlement plus ability to buy a further 5 days

• Membership of our group pension scheme

• Eye care vouchers

• Cycle to work scheme

• Employee assistance program

We are only accepting direct applications - no recruiters please.

We are unfortunately not able to process any applications that require sponsorship.